That night, Qiu Ze, unusually sober, pondered the matter. Thinking of the young and beautiful Madam Shen, he felt his current life was unsatisfactory in every way. His daughter always sided with her mother, and although his son seemed to care about him, he knew that his mother was more important than his father in his heart. To abandon his son immediately was something he couldn’t bear after raising him for so many years.
The next day, Qiu Zisu helped with the cooking. Wu Caiwei told her to put all the rice into the pot. What little there was, the three of them always drank as thin congee, fearing they wouldn’t have enough for the next meal. Since she no longer wished to continue this life, she decided they might as well eat their fill, as they might leave at any moment.
After breakfast, she didn’t let Qiu Chaihu go to the front to help. The money earned wouldn’t be spent by the three of them anyway. Wu Caiwei never did anything that amounted to toiling for others.
Qiu Ze had slept late the previous night and also woke up late. He found no food left for him on the table, and the clinic door was still closed.
That feeling of life being out of sorts resurfaced. "Wang Chunyan, I think you truly don’t want to live anymore. No cooking, no work, what kind of lazy woman are you?"
"I’ve never met a man as unreasonable as you. Cooking? Do you see any rice at home? Any vegetables? Any money? You’re absolutely right, I don’t want to live like this anymore. If you can’t stand it, you can get a divorce." Wu Caiwei deliberately provoked his anger; it would be better if he couldn’t stand it.
"How can you speak so ill of your own husband? Do you know how many women outside want to marry me and can’t? They all envy you; you truly don’t know how fortunate you are." Qiu Ze was almost driven to death by her.
"Is that so? Then hurry up and let me go, so you can make room for them and let them also experience life without food and money to spend." Wu Caiwei said disdainfully.
"This is what you said, don't regret it. Come, let’s go find the town chief right now." Qiu Ze had been somewhat reluctant to part with his son, but he felt that if this woman remained in the house any longer, he would be angered to death.
"Let’s go. Whoever goes back on their word is a bastard." Wu Caiwei used a provocation, determined to get the divorce papers today, no matter what.
When the town chief heard their intentions, he immediately tried to mediate. However, the couple was resolute in their decision to separate. The town chief had no choice but to prepare two copies of the divorce agreement and push them towards them, saying earnestly, "You both must think carefully. This is not a game."
"Why is it a divorce agreement and not a letter of dismissal?" Qiu Ze was very displeased.
"I’m not the one who made a mistake, so why should I be dismissed?" Wu Caiwei was happy as long as he was unhappy, although for her, there was no difference between a dismissal letter and a divorce agreement.
"Town chief, please add another clause: both children belong to me. In the future, their weddings, funerals, marriages, and betrothals will have nothing to do with our Qiu family. This must be in black and white to avoid any disputes." Wu Caiwei glanced at the content of the divorce agreement and reminded him.
The town chief was momentarily stunned. Seeing that Qiu Ze did not object, he knew this was something the couple had already discussed and quickly added the clause.
"Qiu Ze, what a good woman Chunyan is. She manages the household, bore you children, and even saw off your parents. You cannot be so foolish." The town chief had lived in this town his entire life and grew up with Qiu Ze's father. He was well aware of the foolish things this child was doing and couldn’t bear to see him stray further. He couldn’t help but remind him.
When Qiu Ze heard the town chief praising Wang Chunyan, he, who had been somewhat conflicted about whether it should be a dismissal letter or a divorce agreement, no longer focused on these things. He just wanted to get rid of Wang Chunyan. They only saw the surface and didn't know how difficult his life was. If the town chief were not an elder, he would have argued with him properly.
Without hesitation, he picked up the two papers and signed his name, affixing his fingerprint.
Seeing him act this way, the town chief couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.
When Wu Caiwei saw him sign his name, she also signed hers without hesitation and affixed her fingerprint.
News of their divorce quickly spread throughout the town. Honestly, it was a rather rare occurrence in their town. After all, most people believed that a woman should die in her husband's home even if beaten to death. A woman like Wang Chunyan who insisted on a divorce was truly one in a million.
"My child, by leaving like this, aren't you making way for someone else? Why should you?" The kindly old lady next door, hearing about the matter, couldn’t help but voice her opinion.
Wu Caiwei knew she meant well and thanked her. She returned home to pack her belongings. In reality, there wasn't much to pack; the house was bare. She packed the clothes of her two children and herself, and then went to the clinic to collect some medicinal herbs.
Qiu Ze was indifferent to this. He was a generous person by nature. Although he didn't understand Wu Caiwei's actions, he thought that since they were now outsiders, helpless and with no one to rely on, they needed his help.
Madam Shen, however, could not contain herself. She had finally managed to bribe Qiu Ze's associates to get them divorced. Every plant and tree here, in her eyes, belonged to her. Wu Caiwei taking the medicinal herbs was tantamount to taking her money.
"This is the first time I’ve seen someone like you, Madam Wang. Taking so many medicinal herbs after a divorce. Those who know would think that medicine can be eaten as food." Madam Shen said sarcastically.
"What business is it of yours whether I take them or not? Qiu Ze hasn't said anything, and you, an outsider, are interfering. Could it be that you two have been together for a long time? Perhaps your children are his too." Wu Caiwei knew that rumors could kill, especially for women, but she didn't want to let Madam Shen off the hook. Neither she nor Qiu Ze were innocent.
"Madam Wang is truly slandering people. Don't you know that a person's mouth is a killing knife? How important a woman's reputation is; I believe Madam Wang, as a woman, understands this deeply. In the past, I only envied Madam Wang for being able to marry the only doctor in our town, unlike my husband who fell ill every other day, squandered all his wealth while alive, and left a pile of debt after death. And Madam Wang doesn't have to worry about making a living." Madam Shen said these words with genuine sincerity; she truly thought this way.
"So you two have been secretly seeing each other. Now that we are divorced, why don't you try being Madam Qiu and see how it is." While speaking with Madam Shen, Wu Caiwei’s hands didn't stop. She still needed to rely on these things to make a living, so she naturally had to pack more.
As Wu Caiwei walked through the streets with the siblings, Qiu Chaihu and Qiu Zisu were dumbfounded, unable to believe that they had been separated from the Qiu family.
In fact, the siblings also felt an indescribable sadness. In other families, children were the most important thing, yet their father had so easily abandoned them. It showed that in his heart, the siblings were dispensable. Even though they had many grievances against their father in the past, they had never considered leaving. But now their father didn't want them.
Wu Caiwei knew what these two children were thinking, but she was too lazy to explain, nor did she need to. She wanted them to see Qiu Ze's true colors clearly, so that if they came begging one day, she could stand by and do nothing.
She led the siblings to the town exit and boarded an ox cart heading for the county town, intending to settle down there.
Even before the divorce, she had been contemplating where to go if they separated. Firstly, her maiden home was out of the question. The Wang family was a typical patriarchal family, and moreover, with her status as a divorced woman, her parents would never accept her. After all, in the eyes of rural people, a child's divorce was a matter of great shame.
Fortunately, the original owner had saved a copper coin from her daily life and hidden it away. Over time, she had accumulated several hundred. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for the fare to the county town.